Transfer ink



Patented Aug. 15, 1950 TRANSFER INK Douglas A. Newman, Port Washington, N. Y., assignor to Columbia Ribbon and Carbon Manufacturing Company, Inc., Glen Cove, N. Y., a

corporation of New York No Drawing. Application April 25, 1946, Serial N 0. 664,991

I 2 Claims.

This invention relates to manifolding, and more particularly to transfer or copying compositions for use on record sheets or strips, or on other manifolding sheets or strips, whereby inscriptions made on one sheet may be transferred to an adjacent one.

This application is a continuation in part of my abandoned application, Serial Number 572,699 of January 13, 1945, and my copending application Serial Number 656,558 of March 23, 1946.

In records and business forms, it is frequently desired to have on the back or reverse side of a sheet, suitable transfer or carbon material so that copies may be made simultaneously on another sheet without the necessity of interposing a separate transfer or carbon sheet between the two adjacent records. Usually the areas to be thus inscribed for duplication are less than the total area of the sheet, and thus it is preferred that only such areas as are needed be carbonized, this practice being known as spot carbonizing.

The provision of such transfer areas is most economically and satisfactorily effected on a printing press at the same time that the records are being printed (the record sheets ordinarily being in continuous form, at least during the printing operation) so that the transfer areas on the back of the sheet will be in proper registry with areas to be inscribed on the front of the sheet.

In some instances, the areas to be inscribed for duplication by provision of a transfer coating on the rear surface are so many or so large that it is quicker and therefore more economical to carbonize all or substantially all of the back of the form, producing one large area or spot rather than several or many smaller areas; while, in the other instances substantially all of the back of the sheet should be carbonized except such areas as underlie certain parts such as price extensions which it is not desired to reproduce on the carbon copies, such excluded zones being termed nonprint spots. In the majority of cases where transfer material should underlie the entire working area or most of it, it is undesirable to have it carried on a record or work sheet, and in such cases or whenever so desired the transfer material may be provided on a separate carbon sheet or strip, interleaved with the original or record sheet and the copy or duplicate sheet.

For most satisfactory results the transfer surfaces whether applied to the back of the record sheet or to a separate carbon sheet, are made of a wax-carbon mixture of substantially the same characteristics as that used on so-called ordinary typewriter carbon sheets, so that clear, full and sharp copies of the original inscription, whether made by pencil or typewriter, will be satisfactorily reproduced, and so that the transfer material will not easily or casually smudge or rub off on to the copy sheet or other sheets, or on to the hands or clothes of the user.

To solve the problem of carbonizing record sheets on a printing press has been one of long standing in the art. It has been proposed to print the wax-carbon of transfer material on to the record sheet while the composition is in a hot state, using heated printing plates. This proposal however has not been generally accepted or adapted because it involves special equipment to heat the transfer composition to the required fluidity and to heat the printing plates by which the composition is carried to the paper, and further requires means to cool the composition sufficiently to harden it before it comes into contact with other paper or objects.

In order to avoid the necessity for applying transfer composition in heated condition o by heated printing plates to a sheet, it has been proposed to incorporate a volatile solvent for the Waxes or other normally solid components of the composition, so as to yield a mixture fluid at ordinary temperature, the composition being applied to a sheet by printing methods and yielding a transfer coating upon subsequent evaporation of the solvent. Such compositions, however,

require relatively large amounts of volatile solvents necessitating special equipment for recovery of the solvent to minimize waste of materials and thereby reduce expense, as well as special precautions to reduce fire hazards. Moreover, it was difficult to prepare compositions of suitable consistency for printing which would yield a hard film-like layer suitable for transfer purposes on evaporation of the solvent.

It has also been proposed to prepare transfer compositions for application by printing methods at ordinary temperatures by incorporating a pigment together with solid wax in finely divided dispersed form in non-drying non-volatile oily vehicles, such compositions being applied by printing methods at ordinary tempterature to areas of a sheet to be carbonized, and the sheet subsequently heated to fuse the wax and thereby blend it with the other components of the mixture, yielding a transfer coating upon cooling the sheet to solidify the composition. Compositions thus employed however are subject to limitations which render them so inferior to the usual transfer coatings that they are impractical fo comcomposition of sufficient wax to produce a hard non-smudging transfer layer, and at the, same. time sufl'icient coloring matter to produce bright, clear copies. This is especially objection'ableiin the case of hectograph transfer compositions wherein the eflicacy of the mixture depends'on the incorporation of relatively large amounts of dyestuff in a minimum quantity of vehicle-and wherein smudging is espectially obnoxious to users.

The foregoing problems have been solved in accordance with the present invention in a man.- ner permitting the wax-carbon transfer areas to be printed on record sheets with anordinary printing press as employed for sheets or web's, withoutthe necessity of applying the composition in heated condition or heating the printing rolls or plates, while at the same time permitting incorporation of suiiicient coloring matter to produce bright, clear'copies, and suflicient'wax' to yield a hard non-smudge transfer layer.

' According to the invention, the transfer spots orareas are printed on a sheet or strip with an ink-like composition which in unheated condition actssubstantially the same as printing ink, so far as distribution, transfer'tothe' printing plate, and transfer to the paper is concerned; and which, by subsequent applicationof heat to the paper, is transformed into a stable smudge-proof" h'ard transfer coating, having all the'desirablecharlw acteristics of hot-coated transfer material.

This 'is accomplished by pre'paring a, carboniz ing composition containing coloringm'atter such as lampf'black or other pigment, or dyestuffsto getherfwith appropriate" non-volatile 'fluid vehicles'lsuch as softening o'ils', "plasticizers. and.v the like, 'finely divided carnauba wax. or substitute therefor, and a suitablevolatile'liquidivehicle, preferably miscible with thenon-volatile vehicles, in "which the coloring matterj and wax particles are suspended or dispersed in, solid form.butwhich does notdissolve or dissipate the 'wax'in unheated condition. Such compositions withfor without other ingredients, such as t'oners' which an'irik maker may add,provided they donot dissolve the suspendedwax particles; has substantially; the same consistency at room temperature printing ink, and thus may be printed on record strips without special provisions being'made' in the, Way of extra] equipment, and, without any special knowledge or technique on the' part of the. printer.

The printed transfer area's thus produced with compositions according to my invention aredull and'rough in appearance because the wax or wax;- like components thereof are still discrete and not fused'or blended with the other ingredients To complete the transfer coating, it is merely necessary'to treat the printed areas, preferably by heating, so as to liquify or fuse the wax particles, and thus permitthem to comingle with thecoloring matter and other ingredients of the mixture,-

while at the same time causing thevolatil liquid, vehicle to evaporate, leaving a smooth, hardl smudge-proof surface having the polished appear-' ance of ordinary wax-carbon transfer sheets.

performed immediately after it is printed o'n'the sheet or at a subsequent station on the press, or at a subsequent time. When the paper is in web form or continuous strip form it may be accomplished conveniently by passing the strip over a heated tube or roller, or under a bank of infrared I.lamps ,-"or both, whereby it is merely necessary to apply suflicient heat to melt the wax particles and drive off the volatile vehicle as the strip advances at the desired printing-feeding speeds. Extreme heating is not necessary, since the coating is a thin film easily penetrated by the heat, and the'wax being finely divided quickly melts marines with the pigment and other constituentsipre'sent, while the volatile vehicle just as quickly evaporates, and the mixture quickly solidifies and hardens after the heat source is passed.

'By'virtue of the incorporation in the transfer compositions of this invention of a volatile liquid vehicle, insufficient in amount or nature to dissolve substantial. amounts. of the. wax when unheated; it-is possible to produce. a mixture having tlie consistency of .a printing ink but in which the.. proportion of wax or wax-like components, remainingonthe paper, to the other ingredients of the composition yields a hard non-smudging surface, while at the same time the proportion oil-pigment orother coloring matter therein is sufiic'ientto yieldstrong, clear and bright copies in response to inscribing pressure.

While for conveniencal have herein called the transfer composition, a; wax-carbon composition, itshould be understood that I intend this expressi'on to include compositions containing coloring matter of any kind. normally-employed in transfer coatings, such as dyestuffs or pigments, as well as la inpblack,v such materials or an of them being, if desired, soluble in water or spirits-so that hectographduplicates ofthe copies made with thetransfermaterial can be p repared. Further, the aforesaid; expression includes compositions not only containing natural waxes as hardening qr hardenable agentsbut also those which contain otherg waxesqr waxy materials, such as natural or synthetic resins or gums, which can be mi ed-in-finely divided state or.- condition with thepigmentsand/or dyestuffsemployed, andwith theInon-volatile oils, plasticizers andthe like, as niches with the volatile. liquid vehicle to form an ink; and which when the composition is printed uponpaper and then sub j ected to heat, melt, and fuse-with the non-volatile-oils and blend with the eoloring matter so as to yield upon coolinga smooth,;h'ard smudgeeproof transfer layeror film on the paper.

The .non; -volatile vehicles employedin the transfer-composition of my invention may include. any of, the usual softening oils -oroleaginous mate rials; such asnaturahfats and oilse. g. castor oil-,-lano1ine, lard;oil ori.the like, fatty acids such asoleic-acid; orlhea-vy-i mineral oils; and plasticizers :such'as .tricresyl phosphate. The volatile liquidrve hicle employed in mycomposition'is preferably .miscible with. the non-volatile oily vehicle.-.- Such-liquids ,compn'se for example, petroleurn neptha Or; othervolatile mineral oils e. g.

sovasoluor s olvesso #4 which are volatile petroleum hydrocarbon.fractions whose constituents havelboilingpoints lyingin therange fromap pr'okimately'g iqil f. to approximately 325 F.-

To produce acompositionyielding a hard nonsm'udging transfer areaand at thesame time procent by'weight 'of the normally solid components.

i. e. the-wax or wax-like material and the pigment or other coloring matter, so that the nonvolatile liquid vehicle components constitute not more than 60 per cent of the mixture. In order to render the mixture of non-volatile and solid components suitable for application by cold printing methods, I incorporate with each 100 parts thereof, 15 to 30 parts by weight of volatile liquid vehicle. Thus, a suitable composition in accordance with my invention comprises, for example, 40 to 60 parts by weight of non-volatile oily vehicle, to 25 parts by weight of pigment or other coloring matter and 20 to 35 parts by weight of wax or normally solid wax-like components in each 100 parts of non-volatile components, to which there is added to 30 parts by weight of volatile liquid vehicle. I

The normally solid wax or wax-like materials contained in such compositions are incorporated therein by grinding with the other components or by other methods adapted to disperse the wax in finely divided solid form, together with the pigment or coloring matter in the liquid components of the composition.

Preparation of the composition in accordance with my invention is illustrated by the following examples, wherein parts are by weight:

Example I 27.2 parts of carnauba wax 21.7 parts of carbon black 51.1 parts of a mixture of non-volatile softening oils and plasticizers, including heavy mineral oil, castor oil and tricresyl phosphate, and

23.5 parts of petroleum naphtha (Sovasol or $01- vesso #4) are ground together without heating until a smooth suspension is obtained having the consistency of printing ink. Most of the wax remains undissolved in the liquid vehicle, and is dispersed therein in finely divided solid form, together with the carbon black. The resulting composition can be applied by ordinary cold printing methods to a record sheet or to the continuous web or strip which is to receive a transfer coating. Upon subjecting the printed areas to heat treatment at sufficient temperature to fuse the wax, the solvent naphtha is completely evaporated, and the wax fuses and blends with the pigment and softening oils to form, when again cooled, a polished hard non-smudging transfer layer adapted to yield bright, clear copies in response to inscribing pressure.

Example II A transfer composition is prepared in the same manner and employing the same proportions of components specified in Example 1, except that a similar amount of a spirit-and water-soluble dyestuff, such as Crystal violet, Methyl violet, or Malachite green is substituted for the carbon black employed in the preceding example. The resulting composition, while unheated, contains the major portion of the wax as well as the dyestuff in finely divided dispersed form suspended in the liquid components of the vehicle. It has a consistency similar to printing ink and is suitable for application by cold printing methods to record sheets, strips or webs. By heat treatment as described in Example I, a hard, nonsmudging transfer coating is produced which yields copies adapted for duplication by the hectograph process, either by the spirit process or the blanket process.

The foregoing compositions can be applied by printing methods to the entire reverse side of a record sheet, or to selected areas thereof, so that inscriptions performed on the transfer-coated areas will be reproduced on an underlying sheet. After application of the foregoing compositions, the sheet or strip on which they are printed is subjected to heating at a sufficient temperature to fuse the wax or wax-like components thereof and to evaporate the volatile liquid vehicle, the wax blending with the non-volatile liquid components of the composition and with the pigment or dyestufi contained therein. Temperatures ordinarily used for this purpose are generally within the range F. to 250 F., or above the melting point of the dispersed Wax.

Use of compositions of the present invention avoids the difficulty of applying transfer compositions to sheets and strips by means of heated printing rollers or plates and requiring heating equipment for maintaining the compositions in liquid form. Moreover, it avoids the necessity of incorporating sufficient volatile vehicle to dissolve the wax or wax-like components so as to yield a substantially homogeneous transfer coating upon evaporation of the vehicle. The use of uneconomically large amounts of volatile liquids requiring special equipment for their recovery and special precautions for minimizing fire hazards during evaporation thereof is likewise avoided. In addition, the compositions produced in accordance with this invention contain sufiicient wax or wax-like solid to yield a hard non-smudging transfer coating, while at the same time, they contain adequate amounts of coloring matter to produce bright, clear, sharp copies.

My transfer compositions have the same consistency and fluidity as printers ink, and can be applied from the fountain of a press by the usual distributing and inking mechanism thereof to printing plates or blocks, and is transferred from the latter to the paper in exactly the same manner as printers ink. After heating the surface of the paper or the deposit of composition thereon, or both so that the wax particles melt and fuse with the non-volatile fluid vehicle components such as softening oils and plasticizers and blend with the pigment or coloring matter, while the volatile vehicle evaporates and passes oil, the fused composition passes beyond the heating zone and quickly cools to yield a smooth, polished smudge-proof surface. Since the coating applied to the paper by a printing plate is comparatively thin, heat quickly penetrates all parts of the composition causing the wax to melt and the volatile components of the mixture to evaporate without applying extremely high temperatures.

It should be understood that any suitable thermoplastic material may be used in my transfer composition as a hardening or a hardenable agent, so long as it is contained therein initially in finely divided solid state at room temperature, remains in the form of discrete particles when mixed with the softening oils, pigments, dyestuffs and volatile liquid vehicle in the proportions employed as hereinbefore specified, but fuses and blends with said softening oils and plasticizers when heated, so as to yield when restored to normal or room temperature a semiplastic transferable film or coating. The terms Wax or wax particles as used in the appended claims is intended to mean thermoplastic normally solid materials having the characteristics above named.

When transfer compositions of my invention contain water or spirit soluble dyestufis the copies produced thereby can be duplicated by the hectograph process employing either the spirit or gelatin procedure.

Variations and modifications may be made within the scope of this invention and portions of-theimprovements may be used without others.

I claim:

1; An ink-like composition for producing pressure-sensitive wax-carbon transfer areas on 'manifolding sheets by cold printing methods which consists essentially of colorin matter; a non-volatile liquid vehicle component which includes essentially a mixture of non-drying softening oils and plasticizers; a volatile liquid vehicle component; and discrete solid particles of hard,

,pulverulent wax dispersed and suspended in the mixture of said vehicle components and said coloring matter, said volatile vehicle component being miscible with said non-volatile vehicle component, and being characterized by low solubility for said Wax at ordinary atmospheric temwhich consists essentially of coloring matter; a non-volatile liquid vehicle component which includes essentially a mixture of non-drying softening oils and plasticizers; a volatile liquid vehicle component; and discrete solid particles of hard, pulverulent wax dispersed and suspended in the mixture of said vehicle components and said coloring matter, said volatile vehicle component being miscible with said non-volatile vehicle component, and being characterized by low solubility for saidwax at ordinary atmospheric temperatures, said composition containing 40 to parts by weight of said'non-volatile vehicle components, 10 to 25 parts by Weight of coloring matter, and 20 to 35 parts by weight of wax per parts by weight of the mixture of these components, and in addition 15 to 30 parts by weight of said volatile vehicle component incorporated with'each 100 parts by weight of said mixture. DOUGLAS A. NEWMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,082,099 Putman Dec. 23, 1913 1,393,142 Kruse Oct. 11, 1921 2,214,260 Werke Sept. 10, 1940 FOREIGN PATENTS iNumber Country Date 279,403 Great Britain Mar. 29, 1928 '699;085 France Feb. 10, 1931 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,519,321 August 15, 1950 DOUGLAS A. NEWMAN It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows:

Column 8, line 30, list of references cited, for 2,214,260 Werke read 2,214,263 Weihe;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read as corrected above, so that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 12th day of December, A. D. 1950.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

1. AN INK-LIKE COMPOSITION FOR PRODUCING PRESSURE-SENSITIVE WAX-CARBON TRANSFER AREAS ON MANIFOLDING SHEETS BY COLD PRINTING METHODS WHICH CONSISTS ESSENTIALLY OF COLORING MATTER; A NON-VOLATILE LIQUID VEHICLE COMPONENT WHICH INDLUDES ESSENTIALLY A MIXTURE OF NON-DRYING SOFTENING OILS AND PLASTICIZERS; A VOLATILE LIQUID VEHICLE COMPONENT; AND DISCRETE SOLID PARTICLES OF HARD, PULVERULENT WAX DISPERSED AND SUSPENDED IN THE MIXTURE OF SAID VEHICLE COMPONENTS AND SAID COLORING MATTER, SAID VOLATILE VEHICLE COMPONENTS BEING MISCIBLE WITH SAID MON-VOLATILE VEHICLE COMPONENT, AND BEING CHARACTERIZED BY LOW SOLUBILITY FOR SAID WAX AT ORDINARY ATMOSPHERIC TEMPERATURES, SAID COMPOSITION CONTAINING 40 TO 60 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF WAX AND COLORING MATTER FOR EACH 100 PARTS BY WEIGHT OF THE MIXTURE THEREOF WITH THE NON-VOLATILE VEHICLE COMPONENT, THE WEIGHT OF THE WAX BEING GREATER THAN THE WEIGHT OF THE COLORING MATERIAL AND CONTAINING SAID VOLATILE LIQUID VEHICLE COMPONENT IN SUFFICIENT QUANTITY TO RENDER THE CONSISTENCY OF THE COMPOSITION SUITABLE FOR APPLICATION TO A MANIFOLDING SHEET BY COLD PRINTING METHODS. 